Of Mistakes and Wonder
by NocturnalSpaceWhale
Summary: Fic for a friend. III and Fuuya go on a camping trip, where things don't go as planned, for better and for worse. Fluff. Victimshipping.


"A-are you sure this thing is safe?" Fuuya's eyes darted back and forth from the great and terrifying beast to Mihael holding the saddle and reins.

"Sure. I can tell this girl is a shy one." Mihael giggled, stroking the chestnut colored horse's mane. The mare swayed her head and snorted as the boy carefully strapped the gear on. As Fuuya timidly walked by, shuffling his feet on the grass, the horse sniffed his hair, much to his surprise. He yelped, scurrying behind Mihael, who couldn't help but hold back his laughter. "I thought you would have learned how to ride a couple of horses, _Robin_."

"Most of those were robots, we've never had any real horses on set. When you told me we were going camping…" The young actor's fingers tightened around the sleeve of his friend's jacket. "I can see why you chose such a flat area with nothing but grass and a few hills. You could have told me we were going horse riding."

"I wanted to keep it a surprise." Mihael winked, walking over and setting up his own horse. "It's been such a long time since I got to ride a horse. When I was little, my father would let us all ride our horses back at our farm."

"You guys own a farm?" Fuuya smiled while shaking his head, not knowing what he still expected from the Arclight family.

"Mhm. Oh, but there's another reason I wanted to come here. And I'm going to keep that a secret too!"

Fuuya blushed as soon as the other turned away, his heart pounding with excitement. Twirling his thumbs absent mindedly, he couldn't help but find it lucky that he had a weekend alone with his best friend. Did he still consider Mihael a friend? No, to Fuuya he was more than that to him. Now how does one confess without turning red as a tomato and fainting?

Anyways, not only did Fuuya catch a break in his busy schedule, but it was also the same time Mihael was free. He was quick to agree when he suggested a camping trip in the countryside, but he never thought it meant only the two of them. How in the world did he get his brother's permission to go alone? No, he'd better not question it. Spending this time with him was more than a dream came true.

But how was he going to explain to Mihael that he's never even _seen_ a horse in person before?

"H-hey, maybe we should go and get the ranger, just in case something goes wrong." Fuuya insisted, pressing his lips together.

"Nah, I've got this." The other responded with a hint of pride and dignity in his voice. "You'll be fine with me."

"Uhm, how do I get on exactly?"

"Alright, just put your foot here…" Mihael instructed, one hand on the horse and the other supporting Fuuya. The younger turned away as soon as he felt warmth by his hips, fearing that his friend would spot his reddening face. With Mihael's extra strength, he managed to successfully climb on the horse. Once he realized how high he was off the ground, he hunched his back and kept close to the animal, hands shaking as he struggled to find a place to steady himself. Mihael passed Fuuya the reins, while Fuuya gave his friend a crooked smile that didn't reach his squinted eyes.

He stayed low and didn't dare to move until Mihael climbed on his own horse, and trotted calmly over to him.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes." Fuuya mumbled, his body having a mini panic attack when his horse shifted her weight. "NO!"

Mihael laughed again, circling Fuuya like an eagle watching its prey.

"Are you enjoying my pain and discomfort?" Fuuya gritted his teeth in frustration while he remained in the same spot. His mare lost her interest and began nibbling on the blades of grass below.

"Fuuya, it's easy. Just tug on your reins a little…" Mihael advised patiently.

"Maybe it's easy for you…" He raised his shaky voice. "I'm freaking out here!"

"Just… Remember all of those cowboy movies you've seen."

"BrokebackMountain?"

"Not that one."

Fuuya stared at his reins then at his horse for a few moments before giving the gentlest of tugs. The mare lifted its head and shook her long neck, tossing Fuuya in his saddle.

"That wasn't so bad." Mihael encouraged, moving closer to his friend. "Now a little harder."

"Take that line out of context…" Fuuya smirked, muttering to himself as he did as he was told. The horse began walking forwards.

"W-Where are the brakes on this thing?!" Fuuya shouted, looking back at Mihael for help.

"Pull back, but don't overdo it!"

Fuuya gently tugged the rein back a little, and his horse stopped after adjusting herself and waving her tail. Drenched in sweat, the boy clutched at his shirt, catching his breath. He survived! For now…

Mihael was right beside him when he looked up again, and for a moment as he looked into his emerald eyes, he had long forgotten about his fear.

"Shall we start heading on the trail?" Mihael's voice snapped Fuuya out of his thoughts. "I'll keep back just in case anything goes wrong."

"C-can't wait." Fuuya tried smiling again, this time genuinely. His horse moved forwards while Mihael tagged along not too far back.

They walked along the trail in a steady speed, slow enough to make small talk and enjoy the summer scenery. Behind them, the sun began to set, bathing the grassland in a gradient of warm colours. Scattered clouds headed towards the horizon overhead were shaded in hues of purple and pink, almost matching Mihael's hair, Fuuya thought. He looked up in the darkening sky with wonder and awe. He had a nice view of the city at this time since he lived in a high building, but he had never seen the full canvas of nature the sunset had painted right there and then, with the warm grass dancing in the breeze, and butterflies darting here and there to the faint scent of lilac in the air.

Mihael closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Beautiful, isn't it?"

Fuuya turned towards him and caught Mihael while the breeze ran through his curly hair. He felt mesmerized again, captivated by his voice and features. "Yeah…" He whispered, feeling his face warm up again. "Uh, I mean- Is this the surprise?".

"Nope. It's coming up soon though, can't miss it." There was a mischievous glint in Mihael's eyes when he opened them again. "Hey Fuuya, let's go faster!"

"Huh?!"

Without waiting for a response, Mihael's horse took off, running past Fuuya's in a blur. The startled mare gave a shocked neigh, and the noise echoed with Fuuya's shout. She began chasing after Mihael's jet black horse, not sure what she was really doing.

"M-Mihael, w-wait!" Fuuya cried, letting go of the reins and holding onto his horse's mane for his dear life. "Aaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

"Keep up Fuuya!" Mihael's delighted laughter travelled with the wind, but Fuuya's screams drowned out the laughter, so the moment was nothing but terrifying for him.

Scrambling to grab hold of the reins, Fuuya's hands found the rope and tugged as hard as he could on them. The sudden motion shocked his horse again, this time she slipped on the trail, falling hard on her side with Fuuya on her back.

Mihael's heart sank when he saw his friend fall with his horse. He came to a stop and jumped down to help him. Fuuya winced in pain when Mihael helped him up. A strong jolt of pain centered on his ankle.

"I think my ankle is broken…" Fuuya hissed, rubbing his scraped elbow.

"We'll have to make camp here." Mihael said, getting up only to tie the two horses to a nearby tree. When he returned back to Fuuya's side, he sighed heavily. "This wouldn't have happened if you listened to what I told you."

"What?"

"Don't pull on the reins too hard! You'll startle the animal!"

"You mean, this wouldn't have happened if _you_ didn't randomly charge ahead and scare my horse!" Fuuya bit his lip, biting back an insult fueled by his pain and adrenaline.

"It's not my fault you don't catch on fast enough." Mihael huffed, folding his arms.

"Not everything's that easy, mister perfect."

"I'm NOT perfect!" Mihael raised his voice, too loud to take back. "You know what? Forget this whole thing."

"Forget it and go home? Fine." Fuuya felt his heart sank, but his anger told him to go on bickering. "I bet you hate this trip."

"What? When did I say that?! Don't just go making up things!"

"Yeah right, I can't even ride a horse properly. I bet you'd rather have Thomas here or something."

"T-That's not true! I-I…" Mihael frowned, his face turning red. "I'd rather have you here than anyone else in the world. You never pay attention do you?"

"Wait, what?"

"…"

Silence.

Except for the howling of the wind, the chirping of the crickets and the sound of their hearts pounding loudly.

Mihael froze, unable to move away or even break eye contact as he felt his anger drain away to be filled with embarrassment, and horror.

_Oh shit._

"I…" Fuuya started, trying to form a logical sentence, or a word, or even a thought, but the loud heartbeat in his ears distracted him from any coherent speech. He cleared his throat but his voice still cracked. "Pardon?"

"I'm still mad at you!" Mihael lied, quickly spinning around, and muttering to himself quietly. _"Oh mon dieu qu'est-ce que j'avais fait?"_

Fuuya knew Mihael's habit of speaking in french when he was deathly nervous, and tilted his head in confusion. He definitely heard what he said before right? More than _anyone else_ in the world? More than his brothers, or his parents or even Santa Claus…

Woah that was serious.

"Mihael?"

"_Je veux mourir. Maintenant_."

"M-Mihael, uhm…"

"_Pourquoi est-ce que je suis si stupide?_"

"If it means anything… I would rather spend time with… uhm, you… More than anyone else too. I- I'm sorry." Fuuya reached to hold Mihael's hand.

"…" Mihael looked back, and hesitated for a moment. He squeezed the hand and slowly smiled. "What are you sorry for?"

"What? I…" Fuuya blushed again and looked away. "Nothing!"

"You're still angry at me?"

"Uh… Yes?"

"Good. So am I." Mihael said with a chuckle, and with that, Fuuya smiled as well.

They sat next to each other, holding hands in silence as the night finally fell upon the grasses and the hills. They listened to each other's breathing, and watched the fireflies come out of hiding and illuminate the landscape. There was no moon tonight, yet they could see everything perfectly. A cold breeze skimmed the grass, and Fuuya shivered, bringing his legs closer to his body.

"Should I set up camp?" Mihael looked over, his tone light and soft.

"It… It's not too cold. I think sleeping outside might be nice." Fuuya responded, sweating while he tried to stay calm. He almost pulled his hand back, fearing Mihael would notice.

"But you're shivering. What if you catch a cold?"

"You could, uh, hold me." He lowered his head and his voice. "We'll be warm together…"

"Yes. That's a wonderful idea." Without warning, Mihael's arms wrapped around Fuuya's waist and pulled him down on the tall grass, careful to avoid his injuries. They landed with a _thump_, scattering fireflies around them. Fuuya closed his eyes and buried his face on Mihael's chest, snuggling closer. He didn't realize he had a smile on his face at that time. He listened to Mihael's heartbeat, and felt his eyes droop to the rhythm of his breathing. However, just as he was about to fall asleep, Mihael shook him back awake, pointing towards the sky.

"Fuuya look!"

Without the moon and clouds and with the entire night sky in view, thousands, if not millions of stars of all different colours twinkled. They glowed and illuminated the pair, along with the rest of the landscape. Constellations were impossible to make out in the sea of stars. Fuuya was captivated by the lights, his eyes and mouth widening as he tried to take in the image of all the jewels in the sky, while Mihael was looking at his expressions the whole time. Taking advantage of the moment, he leaned and quickly kissed Fuuya on his smiling lips.

"Surprise." Mihael laughed.


End file.
